1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to training devices, and more particularly to athletic training devices.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Conventionally, various athletic training devices have existed but have various shortcomings.
Early athletic ball games include Lacrosse played by native Americans, Jai-Alai a sport originating in northern Spain, as well as association football (soccer) formalized in the United Kingdom, involving kicking a ball into a goal, tracing its ancestry to Episkyros of Ancient Greece, and Harpastum of early Rome. Other ball-based sports may include field hockey, tennis, squash, handball, etc. Other sports may use a slightly different shaped ball including, e.g., but not limited to, a puck for ice hockey, and an oblong spheroid for American football, etc. Various other sports involve throwing or hitting a ball or other projectile, such as baseball, softball, shotput, javelin, etc. Sports generally have a given set of rules, and often require an athlete to develop eye-hand and/or eye-foot coordination to be successful.
One illustrative example of a ball-based athletic sport, basketball, is an athletic or sports competition to determine which of two teams of one or players can place or throw a ball vertically down through a target hoop the most times with the opposing player or team trying to keep the ball from going through the hoop by blocking the player or interfering with the ball on its way to the hoop. Basketball was invented by Dr. James Naismith in 1891. The hoops in a basketball game are attached to a backboard and are generally located 10 feet above the floor in a horizontal position. Originally the hoop was a basket, hence the name, but today, the hoop is conventionally a resilient metal ring with a replaceable (often nylon or cotton) woven net.
The primary object of basketball is to score by throwing the ball into the goal, officially called the “basket.” A basket is scored when the ball passes completely through the basket ring from above; however, the number of points scored with each basket can vary by distance from which the ball is thrown, and a team need not necessarily score the most baskets to win a game. A basket scored during normal play is called a field goal and is worth two points if shot from within or on the three-point line, and three points if shot from beyond the three-point line. The three point line's distance from the goal may vary by level of play (e.g., high school, college, professional, etc.). Points are automatically awarded to the shooting team if, while the ball is in its flight towards or is over the basket, the defending team illegally touches the ball or basket, known as goaltending or basket interference.
An alternate method of scoring in basketball is the free throw, which scores one point. A free throw scores the same way as a field goal, except that it is taken unopposed from a free-throw line after a foul. Basketball scores are expressed in total points.
The basket in basketball generally includes a metal hoop or ring 18 inches (46 cm) in internal diameter, suspended horizontally 10 feet (3.0 m) above the floor such that the center of the ring is equidistant from each sideline and 5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m) from the end line. The basket ring may have a net attached below to briefly check the ball's downward progress and indicate a score. The ring may be fastened to a generally rectangular backboard 6 feet (1.8 m) wide by 3.5 feet (1.1 m) tall, though in lower levels of play or recreational use the backboard may be smaller and/or fan-shaped. Conventionally, the entire structure may be supported from behind and anchored to the floor beyond the end line at higher levels of play; the structure may be anchored to a wall or ceiling at lower levels of play. The ring, net, and the front, top, bottom, and sides of the backboard may all be considered inbounds, while the back of the backboard and the support structure—even those parts suspended over inbounds areas of the court—may be considered out of bounds.
Players have a better chance of placing the ball in the basketball hoop if they have physical attributes such as height and developmental attributes such as dexterity, and so-called good coordination. For example, good eye-hand coordination is helpful for a player as the player uses the player's eyes to judge distance and the player's arms and body to propel the ball with proper force and direction to go through the hoop.
To improve eye hand coordination, a player may conventionally practice shooting the ball from a static position with feet stationary, or from a dynamic position where the player's feet and body are moving. Players are taught to use their bodies as well as hands and arms to help propel and direct the ball towards the hoop and in a game the players move their bodies to avoid and to get around the opposing players, which are trying to block the players and the ball.
In practicing for a game, players spend a lot of time shooting the ball at the hoop, which is conventionally fixed and stationary. The hoop is conventionally fixedly mounted to a backboard and the backboard is generally fixed to a floor, wall or ceiling, or placed on a fixed platform.
The players are always moving during a game as the players try to have a clear path of travel for the ball from the players' hands to the hoop and generally in practice players simulate the movements they would use in a game by putting their bodies in motion to improve their dynamic eye-hand coordination. The same kind of body movements players use in a game can be simulated by moving one's body in a dynamic way and shooting, but this may quickly become fatiguing.
Various so-called “goal-only” sports exist, where the only method of scoring is the goal. Examples of goal-only sports include Association football (soccer), ice hockey, field hockey, handball, lacrosse, water polo, polo, etc. Various other sports (in addition to basketball) permit scoring other than by single points for a goal including Australian rules football (6 point goals), and Gaelic football and hurling. Sports with goals as secondary scoring include American and Canadian football, Arena football, and Rugby.
Various conventional athletic training systems are known, but all fail to provide an optimal training experience simulating real world, in game variable movement, in a compressed training area.
Conventional athletic training and systems have various shortcomings. What is needed is an improved system and method of providing athletic training that overcomes various shortcomings of conventional solutions.